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It's not your dad's Main Street anymore

Dawn KuceraI’ve Been Thinking

Published: Monday, June 17, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, June 14, 2013 at 2:58 p.m.

This column writing is a new gig for me. I don’t know how other writers develop their columns, but for me it’s somewhere between playing a pinball machine and riding bumper cars, with me bouncing around from one approach to another.

I’ll start out with a concept, but most times I end up somewhere far removed from where I thought I was headed. And along the way, I end up having to jettison paragraphs and whole sections that I really like but can’t find a way to work in.

Take today’s column, for instance. Several months ago, I had the idea of writing about Main Street for my June piece. First, some disclosure here. In my previous life (when I worked), I was a military communications planner and project manager. I always had to be thinking months, if not years, down the road. I still operate that way. If I don’t have column ideas for at least the next six months, I start to feel a bit panicky. (June 2014? Column already roughed out.)

So anyway, my first thought was to make this a lighthearted chat about how much I like Main Street, how it figured in my decision to move here, and extol its virtues. Then I started reading articles in the paper about the seemingly never-ending construction and its economic impact, and I decided to take that as my main premise.

But then (again) I read a couple of letters to the editor about Main Street.

One, as part of a tribute to retired columnist Stephen Black (hey, big guy, we miss ya!) lamented the passing of the Main Street he knew, and asked the question: How come the Main Street Commission didn’t wonder about why “local hometown, year-round folks don’t come to town anymore?”

He went on to say that while he has nothing against the tourists, “I also don’t know too many of my hillbilly, redneck family and friends” who would ever be caught at one of the little trendy cafes.

A while later, another letter appeared, lamenting how hard it is to find parking and bemused by all the talk of a clock tower.

So I’ve been thinking about Main Street from the perspective of these letter writers and decided to head off in that direction.

Personally, I love Main Street. In fact, Main Street is one of the primary reasons I chose Hendersonville as my new home. When I knew I was moving, I had settled on this general area as my destination. So I came to explore and drove all over, from Fletcher to Brevard, trying to get a feel for where would be a good fit for me.

When I hit Hendersonville’s Main Street, attended the Garden Jubilee and learned about all the events that are centered on Main Street, I was sold. Hendersonville had a distinct identity: a center, a core around which the whole community was organized. Main Street gave definition to the whole town.

However, the Main Street I met is not the Main Street my letter writers remember and love. But here’s the thing: The one they remember is not the same one their parents or grandparents would have recalled, either. I imagine some of those ancestors had conversations at church or around the fireplace, wishing Main Street was the way it was back when they were kids. Or maybe they remembered a time before Main Street was paved and a person could ride his horse down the street without worrying about those newfangled cars.

Now let’s go a step in the other direction. Main Street the way it is now is the Main Street the current crop of youngsters will grow up with and remember fondly – if their parents bring them down there.

The fountain at the north end is brand new, and maybe some of the oldsters might not like it. But by the time today’s kids grow up, they will not remember Main Street without it. Let’s say in 40-50 years, the fountain has deteriorated and has to be torn down. You better believe there will be letters to the editor lamenting the demise of this beloved landmark they have always known.

I see Main Street as almost like a person. It doesn’t stay the same. It grows, and changes come. But while we might miss the stores and the look and feel that are gone, different doesn’t mean bad. It just means different. Each generation’s Main Street is different from the one that came before, and it will be different from the one that comes next.

So come on down, walk up and down Main Street, and celebrate what is. I’d bet dimes to doughnuts even the naysayers can find a store or eatery they’ll like and want to patronize. And now is when the shop owners need us.

You’ll be doing two important things: helping the local economy, and making sure Main Street has a treasured spot in the hearts of the next generation. Both are well worth doing.

I want to thank Mr. Millard Reed and Mr. Larry Ledbetter, both of Hendersonville, whose letters inspired this column. I’d love to meet you down on Main Street someday for an ice cream or coffee.

<p>This column writing is a new gig for me. I don't know how other writers develop their columns, but for me it's somewhere between playing a pinball machine and riding bumper cars, with me bouncing around from one approach to another.</p><p>I'll start out with a concept, but most times I end up somewhere far removed from where I thought I was headed. And along the way, I end up having to jettison paragraphs and whole sections that I really like but can't find a way to work in.</p><p>Take today's column, for instance. Several months ago, I had the idea of writing about Main Street for my June piece. First, some disclosure here. In my previous life (when I worked), I was a military communications planner and project manager. I always had to be thinking months, if not years, down the road. I still operate that way. If I don't have column ideas for at least the next six months, I start to feel a bit panicky. (June 2014? Column already roughed out.)</p><p>So anyway, my first thought was to make this a lighthearted chat about how much I like Main Street, how it figured in my decision to move here, and extol its virtues. Then I started reading articles in the paper about the seemingly never-ending construction and its economic impact, and I decided to take that as my main premise.</p><p>But then (again) I read a couple of letters to the editor about Main Street.</p><p>One, as part of a tribute to retired columnist Stephen Black (hey, big guy, we miss ya!) lamented the passing of the Main Street he knew, and asked the question: How come the Main Street Commission didn't wonder about why “local hometown, year-round folks don't come to town anymore?”</p><p>He went on to say that while he has nothing against the tourists, “I also don't know too many of my hillbilly, redneck family and friends” who would ever be caught at one of the little trendy cafes.</p><p>A while later, another letter appeared, lamenting how hard it is to find parking and bemused by all the talk of a clock tower.</p><p>So I've been thinking about Main Street from the perspective of these letter writers and decided to head off in that direction.</p><p>Personally, I love Main Street. In fact, Main Street is one of the primary reasons I chose Hendersonville as my new home. When I knew I was moving, I had settled on this general area as my destination. So I came to explore and drove all over, from Fletcher to Brevard, trying to get a feel for where would be a good fit for me.</p><p>When I hit Hendersonville's Main Street, attended the Garden Jubilee and learned about all the events that are centered on Main Street, I was sold. Hendersonville had a distinct identity: a center, a core around which the whole community was organized. Main Street gave definition to the whole town.</p><p>However, the Main Street I met is not the Main Street my letter writers remember and love. But here's the thing: The one they remember is not the same one their parents or grandparents would have recalled, either. I imagine some of those ancestors had conversations at church or around the fireplace, wishing Main Street was the way it was back when they were kids. Or maybe they remembered a time before Main Street was paved and a person could ride his horse down the street without worrying about those newfangled cars.</p><p>Now let's go a step in the other direction. Main Street the way it is now is the Main Street the current crop of youngsters will grow up with and remember fondly – if their parents bring them down there.</p><p>The fountain at the north end is brand new, and maybe some of the oldsters might not like it. But by the time today's kids grow up, they will not remember Main Street without it. Let's say in 40-50 years, the fountain has deteriorated and has to be torn down. You better believe there will be letters to the editor lamenting the demise of this beloved landmark they have always known.</p><p>I see Main Street as almost like a person. It doesn't stay the same. It grows, and changes come. But while we might miss the stores and the look and feel that are gone, different doesn't mean bad. It just means different. Each generation's Main Street is different from the one that came before, and it will be different from the one that comes next.</p><p>So come on down, walk up and down Main Street, and celebrate what is. I'd bet dimes to doughnuts even the naysayers can find a store or eatery they'll like and want to patronize. And now is when the shop owners need us.</p><p>You'll be doing two important things: helping the local economy, and making sure Main Street has a treasured spot in the hearts of the next generation. Both are well worth doing.</p><p>I want to thank Mr. Millard Reed and Mr. Larry Ledbetter, both of Hendersonville, whose letters inspired this column. I'd love to meet you down on Main Street someday for an ice cream or coffee.</p>